


In Case of Emergency

by andtheyfightcrime



Category: BOOM! Buffy the Vampire Slayer Comics - Fandom, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Comics 2019)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Grumpy bats in search of brain cells and defining What The Fuck is This, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:19:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22589290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andtheyfightcrime/pseuds/andtheyfightcrime
Summary: A glimpse at a possible future between two almost-friends - takes place in the 2019 comics reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This happens after the Hellmouth crossover event ends and Buffy and Angel try to deal with the aftermath of their actions. This was written before Hellmouth issue #4 was released and has been Jordied by that comic's ending.Buffy Summers is grounded and Angel is apologetic, what else is new - so a trip to the grocery store is in order.
Kudos: 2





	In Case of Emergency

Buffy wasn’t surprised when she turned around and saw Angel, his hands stuffed into his pockets and looking apologetic. It should worry her that it wasn’t surprising. After their ordeal in the Hellmouth, there was this new awareness that she could only describe as Angel-sense. Other vampires – and Xander had their own distinct signals that alerted her when they were close. Angel-sense felt different. It irritated her.

She crossed her arms and stared up at him. “What’s wrong now? Is there an evil epilogue we have to fight?”

Angel shook his head. “I just wanted to say – I’m sorry.”

“You’ve already said it. It’s fine. You can go.”

“Buffy –”

“Nuh-uh. Save it. I appreciate what you did – it was a really big help,” Buffy held up a finger. “But you don’t have to do it anymore. I’ve got it under control. Kendra and I, we’re working stuff out. But you need to be in LA and doing…your stuff.”

“I didn’t come about that,” Angel said. “I’m sorry about what happened when we weren’t fighting for our lives.” He grimaced. “I’m not good at sharing personal information.”

“You don’t say,” Buffy said dryly. “Because telling a girl you’re a vampire with a soul is top secret information, even though I’m a Vampire Slayer and it’s my job to know that sort of thing.”

“I panicked,” Angel admitted. “I didn’t want you to look at me differently.”

“My best friend is a half-vampire teenage boy,” Buffy said. “Kinda gave me a crash course in changing my perspective on things.” She sighed and looked up at the sky. “I get it, okay? You feel guilty about lying and now you’re here to make nice. Fine. I’m over it.”

“It doesn’t sound like you’re over it.”

“Because it sucked,” Buffy snapped. “I thought –” she bit her lip. “It was an intense situation. But I knew you had my back, even though I’m a stranger. And maybe we were becoming friends.”

“We were,” Angel said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Well you did. And I get to be mad about it, okay? I don’t have hundreds of years to be all mature and graceful about people hiding who they are.”  
“That’s not fair. You’re the Slayer.”

“Yes. And I’m also grounded for life thanks to that Hellmouth field trip, and I’m going to be late if I don’t finish this for my mom.” She waved a sheet of paper at him. 

“What’s that?”

“It’s a grocery list. Eric’s grilling for dinner tonight and Mom finally let me out of the house to go somewhere besides school.”

“Oh.” Angel rubbed the back of his neck. “Need a hand?”

“There’s not going to be demons at the grocery store, Angel.”

“Oh. Right. I’ll just go.”

Buffy took in his hunched shoulders and dejected expression and sighed. “Do you know anything about cuts of meat?” She wrinkled her nose. “Actually, you probably are the best person to ask.”

He gave her a small smile. “I’m more of a liquid diet guy these days. But I can help you out.”  
~/~  
The fluorescent lighting in the store made Angel look even paler, and Buffy was aware of the other shoppers’ glances as they passed by.  
She nudged Angel. “Have you ever thought of using self-tanner to cut down on the glare?”

Angel didn’t look at her as he checked the butcher’s display case. “It makes too much of a mess.”

“You didn’t!”

“It was the eighties. I don’t want to talk about it.” Angel pointed at a tray. “Strip steak. It’s tender, grills quickly, and it’s on sale.”

“Perfect. I’ll take three.”

As the butcher wrapped her purchases, Buffy studied Angel. Aside from the paleness, Angel looked like a regular guy. Well, a regular tall guy. Who wore black everything except for his red shirt, and he would not look out of place at an open mic night at her favorite café. She tried to imagine Angel standing in front of a microphone singing, and went blank. That was ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as Giles being a regular performer at the mic nights.  
Angel caught her staring and she whirled away; her face suddenly warm.  
He handed her the package, his fingers brushing against hers.  
Buffy felt the Angel-sense prickle all over and pulled back quickly, the package tucked up protectively against her chest. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. 

“I just need to get some rolls and then we’re done.”

“I’ll meet you outside?” Angel shuffled his feet. “I’m sorry. I just need to be…outside.”

“Oh. Yeah, okay. I’ll see you outside then.”  
~/~  
Angel felt better as soon as he stepped out into the dark. It was too bright in the grocery store, and there had been more people than he anticipated. He realized his mistake in accompanying Buffy to the store as soon as he stepped through the automatic doors. There were too many human smells and noises and he could hear Buffy’s heartbeat over all of it, the steady thump thump and then acceleration when he caught her looking at him.

It was the way she was looking – her features unguarded and soft as she gazed at him. There was no trace of the furious hurt girl who said with cold finality, “Don’t touch me.”

He shouldn’t have gone looking for her. His wounds healed a day after they escaped the Hellmouth and there was no reason for delaying his trip back to Los Angeles.

Except he felt the need to explain – a stupid and wild need that bordered on pathetic. Please don’t be angry with me, Buffy. I’m sorry, Buffy.  
It was madness. He wasn’t allowed to feel this way about anything – and certainly not – Lilith had read the future wrong. Buffy Summers had nothing to do with his purpose and he was a fool to stay a night longer in this cursed town.

The sound of Buffy’s sneakers across pavement clued him into her arrival. She swung the plastic bag in her hands. “I’m all set. Thanks for the help.”

“Buffy—”  
“Angel,” she said at the same time. They shared an awkward laugh and he nodded at her to say, you go first.

“I’m still mad at you,” she blurted out. “I mean, not as mad as I was before. But I was thinking about it while I was in the check-out line and the woman ahead of me had about a million coupons, so I had the time – but, I think I understand why you didn’t tell me. Without you, shutting down the Hellmouth would have been a lot harder. It would have been difficult to focus if I knew you were a vampire upfront, because…no offense, you guys aren’t trustworthy.”

“None taken,” he said.

“And I already thought Drusilla was going to backstab me, so to have two vampires and wondering about their loyalties – definitely would have messed up my concentration. Instead, I had to worry about it being a sick game to you halfway through,”  
He grimaced. “Sorry.”

“You keep saying that, but that’s not what I need, Angel,” Buffy said. “I get why you thought you couldn’t tell me, but you still lied. I don’t like that. And I need to be able to be angry without you looking like a sad clown painting and making me feel guilty about being mad.”

“I look like –” Angel felt his face. “A sad clown painting?”

“You know what I mean,” Buffy said, exasperated. “I see your face and I get all these mixed-up feelings and I don’t have time for that. I’ve got school and I have to fix my relationship with my mom, and I don’t even know where to start with Giles and my friends. There’s just a lot. I can’t add to it anymore.”

Ah, he remembered this ache. The rejection was as familiar as a well-worn coat. “No. I understand. I’m going to leave.”

“That would be for the best,” she said softly. “But. Angel?”  
“Yeah?”

“If you ever need help in LA, call me. I owe you a favor.” She smiled. “Or maybe you can show me your favorite spots.”

He nodded, his throat tight. He handed over his phone wordlessly and Buffy entered her name in his contacts, adding a cross emoji next to it.  
It was a little thing, more of a leaf than a whole olive branch – but he took it with relief. Buffy was still his friend. He needed friends more than ever. In his long decades of experience, one wave of evil usually gave rise to another. It was important that he had the Slayer on his side.

He banished the unbidden voice that said she was anything more.  
It would never happen.

**Author's Note:**

> written for [GraceNM](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GraceNM/pseuds/GraceNM) as a belated birthday present


End file.
